Welcome to Progressive GaitWays…

“…the current demand for ‘evidence’ as a justification for intervening overlooks the shortfall of evidence and discourages the emergence of clinical evaluation, skill building, and science-based innovation.”

The Tyranny of Evidence…

Beverly Cusick, PT, MS, NDT, COF/BOC pushes back on the current culture of dependence on single-focus, short-term clinical studies that ignore the complex morbidities of cerebral palsy – and the sciences that address them.

The first program in the series The Golden Rule of Managing Pediatric Orthopedic and Motor Developmentis now available for your professional development – at your convenience, in a pre-recorded webinar!

In this hour-long webinar, Beverly (Billi) Cusick reviews key biomechanical and sensory-motor aspects of early postural control acquisition – the essential foundation for building competent limb use and movement skills. She then demonstrates her “golden rule” concept with two clinical cases, and provides a detailed Q&A segment based on the discussions from the original live webinar.

In conclusion, Ms. Cusick traces the timeline, mentors, and influences that led her to the development of the Golden Rule – a valuable review that ‘connects the dots’ between the contributions of numerous well-known pioneers in physical rehabilitation.

I took a course from Billi over 20 years ago (Biomechanics) and it transformed my practice. Love how she integrated all theapproaches (NDT, Sahrmann, Tschnarter etc..). Excellent information with clear application, and the science behind the art of postural control facilitation. It was concise, easy to follow, and packed full of golden nuggets. I actually bought Kathleen Porters book and will be sharing it with coworkers at the clinic including office staff!

Enjoyed the historical approach with references to the scientific basis behind the techniques. Good reminder of finding the balance between stability and mobility in order to enhance function.

Program 2: Expanding Postural Control into Movement

In Program 2, Ms. Cusick discusses the biomechanical and somatosensory aspects of the developing infant’s progress after stabilizing the body center of mass in prone and supine positions. In this next phase of early movement acquisition, lying leads to rolling and body weight is displaced in the frontal plane and elevated off the surface into quadruped position. The instructor’s golden rule is applied in suggested biomechanical and somatosensory strategies for remediating deficits.

It’s very difficult to get clear, concise information regarding infant motor development and I really appreciate the quality of information as well as the convenience of the presentation type.

Billi is a wealth of knowledge which she shares in a clear, concise and clinically applicable way… The webinar allows learning in 1 hours chunks of time, with the opportunity to watch again for the week that follows. The handout follows the slides exactly and can be downloaded ahead of time to maximize learning.

An Open Letter to Caretakers and Therapists for Children with Diplegic CP

“I’ve seen hundreds of families of children with diplegia, in consultation sessions in which I routinely undertake an orthopedic assessment and evaluate postural control, movement strategies, and existing orthoses. Common denominators have emerged that appear to operate to contribute to common problems of contracture development and recurrence, and to diminishing movement skills so often seen with advancing age in children with diplegia.

“I’ve composed the attached letter for caretakers and therapists of children with diplegia to bring them together in their understanding of the sources of many common musculoskeletal problems, and of the fundamental skills and strategies that are needed for effective remediation.”